Story Highlights

Norv Turner has a reputation for being a pass-first offensive coordinator, but that doesn't bother the star running back he's now going to be coaching with the Minnesota Vikings.

"I'll tell you, our pass offense has really struggled in the past couple years," Adrian Peterson told USA TODAY Sports in a phone interview Monday. "I think (Turner) is going to be the perfect guy to come in and get us on the right path."

The Vikings haven't ranked better than 23rd in passing yards since Brett Favre's brilliant 2009 season — a four-year span in which they've been in near-constant quarterback flux, from Favre to Joe Webb to Donovan McNabb to Christian Ponder to Josh Freeman to Matt Cassel.

The lack of passing pop is partially due to the Vikings' heavy reliance on one of the NFL's best backs. They've been a top-10 rushing team in those same four seasons. But balance has been lacking, particularly in a tumultuous 2013 campaign that cost coach Leslie Frazier his job.

Turner, 61, spent last season as offensive coordinator with the Cleveland Browns, who led the NFL in pass attempts. Before that, he spent six seasons as head coach of the San Diego Chargers, who were No. 1 in net yards per pass attempt from 2008 to '10.

"He's a brilliant mind, obviously," Peterson said of Turner, adding that he has heard positive reviews on new coach Mike Zimmer as well. "I'm still sitting back and seeing whatever moves we make as far as coaches and players."

Turner knows first-hand what Peterson can do. As a rookie on Nov. 4, 2007, Peterson set the NFL's single-game rushing record with 296 yards and scored three touchdowns against Turner's Chargers in a 35-17 Vikings victory.

The Vikings have yet to announce Turner's hiring, but it has been considered a done deal for weeks. Bill Musgrave, Minnesota's offensive coordinator the past three years, was announced as the Philadelphia Eagles' new quarterbacks coach Monday.

Peterson, 28, is headed to New York this week to present an award at Saturday's NFL Honors event while promoting the Castrol EDGE Super Bowl Ticket Blitz, which is in the midst of a 10-day contest awarding two Super Bowl tickets per day to fans.

Peterson said he's "actually feeling pretty good, considering I just had surgery Thursday" to relieve pain in his groin that bothered him throughout the season — an issue Peterson said was related to the sports hernia he had repaired a year earlier.

"Muscles overcompensating for that area that I had the sports hernia," Peterson said. "I'm sure I got my body in a position that I got pulled, maybe somebody was holding on my leg. ... It kind of creeped up on me."

Philadelphia-based specialist William Meyers, who fixed the sports hernia, performed Thursday's procedure to repair Peterson's adductor muscle and perform a compartment release.

Recovery time is set for four to six weeks, cutting only slightly into Peterson's normal offseason workout schedule. He'd normally ramp up workouts around mid-March back in Houston anyway, though not being able to work out at all for now isn't ideal.

"I like to try to keep the body tuned up," Peterson said. "That's the hardest thing as I'm sitting here, is to really drop off and not do nothing for a long period of time and then just try to jump back into it."

Super Bowl III (Jets 16, Colts 7): Quarterback Joe Namath of the New York Jets hands off the football to Matt Snell during Super Bowl III on Jan. 12, 1969. Namath came through on his famous "guarantee" of a Jets upset against the heavily favored Colts.
AP

Super Bowl VII (Dolphins 14, Redskins 7): Miami Dolphins' Jim Mandich takes in a Bob Griese pass near the goal line during the second quarter. The 1972 Miami Dolphins remain the NFL's only team with a perfect record (17-0). The 1948 Cleveland Browns of the AAFC also posted a 14-0 record.
AP File

Super Bowl XXV (Giants 20, Bills 19): Dejected Bills kicker Scott Norwood walks off the field after missing a 47-yard field goal on the last play of the game, clinching a victory for the New York Giants.
Chris O'Meara, AP

Super Bowl XXXIV (Rams 23, Titans 16): Titans wide receiver Kevin Dyson tries to stretch across the goal line on the final play of the game. He is stopped by Rams linebacker Mike Jones.
Robert Hanashiro, USA TODAY

Super Bowl XXXVI (Patriots 20, Rams 17): New England Patriots' kicker Adam Vinatieri celebrates his 48-yard game-winning field goal in the final seconds against the St. Louis Rams. At left is teammate Ken Walters.
Amy Sancetta, AP